Mock Examination: JAMB sanctions 14 CBT centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revoked the accreditation of 14 computer-based centres over various infractions in the conduct of its mock examination.

Some of the infractions cited by the board include deceit and borrowing computer systems without informing the board.

The board had earlier said it will register all the computers that will be used in the conduct of the 2019 exercise to enable it to detect any form of malpractice.

The board is holding the one-day 2019 mock examination on Monday.

The mock examination is optional and is only meant to prepare interested candidates for the main examination. It does not in any way add to the grades for the main examination.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the board fixed April 11 for the commencement of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The examination is expected to hold for about a week across the country.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and the JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, inspected some centres in Abuja on the first day of the exercise.

According to the registrar, “we have had to disaccredit CBT centres this morning for one infraction or the other.

“Now, we have about 698 centres out of the 712. All over the country, only one centre is not ready for the examination and we are working on it. Initially, we said we will have one session of the examination but we have distributed the candidates to other centres so some centres will have two sessions,” he said.

He said mock examination is free in JAMB-owned centres because the board is testing the systems.

“Private centres are entitled to their N700 for their expenses,” he said.

He said over 157,000 candidates are writing the mock examination.

Mr Oloyede expressed outrage over the attack on two workers of JAMB in Lagos on Monday.

“Two of our staff were nearly murdered. We have sent a rescue team and they have been taken to the hospital. We are still investigating what transpired but we have evacuated our staff from the place,” he said.

The minister of education, Adamu Adamu, said the board is ready for the 2019 UTME.

Mr Adamu urged CBT centres owners to adhere to the instruction of JAMB, saying perpetrators of examination malpractice will be punished severely.

The mock test is being conducted mainly to test run facilities at the various accredited centres nationwide, as well as familiarise candidates with the process.

Over 1.8 million candidates registered for the 2019 UTME.